The Brown Knight wrote:I'll go on record as saying that this version of Team Canada was the greatest hockey team ever assembled in hockey history.

I've never seen a team be THAT effective in terms of commitment to Team defense and positional play.

Just an unreal non-flashy business like performances throughout.

You're probably right in terms of team defence & positional play...but my preference would be this squad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Canada_Cup_rostersAlthough I found it hard to believe Yzerman was cut. The hockey was looser back then but the free-wheelin' fire wagon style was damn entertaining. More emotion, less tactical. Lemieux came into his own on that team.

Haven't heard all the details about the Backstrom doping scandal yet,but from what's on-line the Swedes are really upset and I don't blame them. He's been taking allergy pills for seven years and all of a sudden he's doping,being told while on the ice for pre-game skate.

Apparently this drug isn't on the NHL banned list.

I wonder how we would feel if this happened to us, say if Crosby couldn't play under the same circumstances. This thread would have f----ing 200 pages.

This has Dick Pound written all over it. f---ing I O C .bunch of f----ing tards. If there was ever a chance the NHL was going back in 4 years it's gone now.

okcanuck wrote:Haven't heard all the details about the Backstrom doping scandal yet,but from what's on-line the Swedes are really upset and I don't blame them. He's been taking allergy pills for seven years and all of a sudden he's doping,being told while on the ice for pre-game skate.

Apparently this drug isn't on the NHL banned list.

I wonder how we would feel if this happened to us, say if Crosby couldn't play under the same circumstances. This thread would have f----ing 200 pages.

This has Dick Pound written all over it. f---ing I O C .bunch of f----ing tards. If there was ever a chance the NHL was going back in 4 years it's gone now.

People are upset, but mainly by how it was handled. It seems the drug is not banned (pseudoephedrine), is common in allergy and cold medications, but has a "legal limit". As an athlete you're allowed to take it, but not right before games. The limit is set at 150 something something and apparently Bäckström had 190 when he was tested after the Slovenia game. That would indicate that he has taken too much of the medication or too close to the game. Or that he was debydrated, I guess. Either way. There's a limit, he exceded it, and thus he violated the rule. This is more of a misdemeanor than a crime, if you compare it to eg steroids and stuff. But still. He won't get suspended by the NHL, who seem to be OK with players using these meds even on game day, but there could be some minor suspension from he IOC. Or maybe missing the final will do. Thy haven't announced it yet.

What has upset the team management though is that you should get these test results within 24 hours. Bäckström was tested after the Slovenia game on Wednesday. He gets pulled out of the warmup skate on Sunday, less than two hours before the final. Wtf??? What happened to the 24 hours? We should have known this on Thursday already! Not two hours before the puck drops in the final. This messed up the lines, the game plan, everything, and left leader and players in a state of shock.

Basically, a proper handling would not have changed the outcome of the game. The way Canada played today, they were going to win anyway, but perhaps we could have put up more of a fight. The Sedin-Bäckström-Eriksson line was our best line in the semifinal. When they woke up this morning they still thought they were going to play together. Pulling him out of the lineup during the warmup skate gave the coach no fair chance to prepare alternative lineups. From what I understand the IOC have apologised for this, but the damage is already done.Mårts is upset since he feels he was robbed of a fair chance to prepare the team for the big game.

The Finns are also upset, because they feel he should not have been allowed to play in the semifinal. Makes sense I guess. The results should have been announced on Thursday, and we played Finland on Friday. Shrug.

Question on Backstrom. Per, could the delay have been testing both an A and a B sample. If that were the case, then the Swedish delegation would have known there was an issue.

Good effort by Team Sweden and a solid game plan of forcing the Canadian defenders back. Unfortunately that was ineffective after the 8 minute mark of each period when the ice would snow over. It definitely seemed the Swedes were counting on an early lead to help them out.

Also an issue with the ice, a home team built on speed and scoring and the ice makers give them a slush pond? yet another question for the Russian delegation to answer to.

Topper wrote:Was this team better than the 1987 Canada Cup Team Canada?

Certainly close and designed for different styles of play.

Question on Backstrom. Per, could the delay have been testing both an A and a B sample. If that were the case, then the Swedish delegation would have known there was an issue.

Good effort by Team Sweden and a solid game plan of forcing the Canadian defenders back. Unfortunately that was ineffective after the 8 minute mark of each period when the ice would snow over. It definitely seemed the Swedes were counting on an early lead to help them out.

Also an issue with the ice, a home team built on speed and scoring and the ice makers give them a slush pond? yet another question for the Russian delegation to answer to.

On Bäckström: No. The Swedish team had no information about this until today. Still, you have to think their doctor must have screwed up somehow. It was no secret Bäckström was using these meds, and it's not against the rules as long as you stay below the limit, and do not use it right before a game. Bäckström must have taken way too much, and the team doctor should have known this.

Sweden had scouted Canada carefully, and concluded that Canada had two different game plans and had come up with strategies to counter both of them. Yeah, I think they did a good job, but Canada was just too strong and played a fantastic team defence.

Per wrote:On Bäckström: No. The Swedish team had no information about this until today. Still, you have to think their doctor must have screwed up somehow. It was no secret Bäckström was using these meds, and it's not against the rules as long as you stay below the limit, and do not use it right before a game. Bäckström must have taken way too much, and the team doctor should have known this.

Yes, my other thought was the lab being run by US and Russian figure skating judges.

Team Canada's checking and ability to capitalize on turnovers was ridiculous. As was- their machine-like commitment to short shifting regardless of where the puck was- and their ability to beat Sweden to the puck. The Canadian skater (whoever it was) was always faster than the Swedish skater.

No offense to Sweden whatsoever but the lopsided puck possession made me feel like I was watching an NHL team against a WHL team.

Dank's give away at his blue line made me feel kinda sad. After he gave it away, he kinda floated away.

mathonwy wrote:- their machine-like commitment to short shifting regardless of where the puck was

Everytime the CBC crew commented on the Candian's short shifts, and it was throughout the tourney, not just this game, I laughed.

How many years of AV hockey did we watch of 30 second shifts?

Healy and Simpson nearly made the games unwatchable .... I was able to tune them out and listen to Hughson's play by play.

Noted Healy with mic an headset still on standing behind Friedman while Elliot interviewed Toews post game ..... Glen must have a got a message in his ear because he soon realized his job was over, removed his headset started slobbering over team Canada.

We can debate whether this was the best ever Canadian team or not, I think it has to be in the top 2-3, but to me it was certainly the best team ever at having their emotions in check. It was all business every game. They played a disciplined, methodical game. Never lost their cool, never let their emotions take over. They were patient and there was total commitment to team defence.

Sweden had a great chance in the first few minutes to take the lead and if they had it would have been an interesting result. Canada never had to play from behind this tournament, they were that good, and a little bit of luck today was nice to see. Not that I think the out come would have been different though. Sweden surprised me today, they didn't have that poise and swagger I am used to. They were out matched and they played as if they knew it. Too bad really that they were missing there top three centres, the best should be there.

Speaking of emotion, there really was very little in the crowd either. Nothing like 2010.

Hockey Widow wrote:We can debate whether this was the best ever Canadian team or not, I think it has to be in the top 2-3, but to me it was certainly the best team ever at having their emotions in check. It was all business every game. They played a disciplined, methodical game. Never lost their cool, never let their emotions take over. They were patient and there was total commitment to team defence.

Sweden had a great chance in the first few minutes to take the lead and if they had it would have been an interesting result. Canada never had to play from behind this tournament, they were that good, and a little bit of luck today was nice to see. Not that I think the out come would have been different though. Sweden surprised me today, they didn't have that poise and swagger I am used to. They were out matched and they played as if they knew it. Too bad really that they were missing there top three centres, the best should be there.

Speaking of emotion, there really was very little in the crowd either. Nothing like 2010.

I like this version of team Canada but I do miss the emotion.

I think this was the best Canadian team I've ever seen. Sure, many of the earlier versions have impressed with individual performances from great superstars, but I've never seen a Canadian team this committed to playing as a team. Ths superstars held back in order to keep their positions within the decided strategy.

If Sweden had scored on Nyqvist's shot early on, the game would have changed, but I'm pretty sure Canada would have prevailed either way. First of all, Canada was the better team, and secondly, we had our three best playmakers missing.

Canada has the depth that they can afford missing Stamkos and Tavares and a handful more without losing much strength, but Sweden does not have the depth to be able to replace our top three centres and still be able to stand up to Canada. Bäckström playing or not playing would not have made that much difference, but the rest of the team finding out just about half an hour before the game that he was not playing probably messed with their minds a bit.

Sweden had the best power play in this tournament, but when they got the man advantage halfway through the third period, they couldn't even get the puck into Canada's zone.... It looked like they had all given up already.

In the end the best team won. I'm just sorry we couldn't put up a better fight.